70 empowerment of women and less so in the private sector. Overall, the aggregate growth in women in leadership positions has slowed since 2010 due to reduced transformative gains in the private sector. 2010 2011 CEOs/MDs 4.5% 4.4% Chairpersons 6.0% 5.3% Directorships 16.6% 15.8% Executive Managers 19.3% 21.6% Source: Women in Leadership Census 2011, Businesswomen’s Association of South Africa The Chamber of Mines of South Africa (COMSA) is the premier organisation responsible for collective advocacy in the mining sector in South Africa and acts as a joint industry platform. Recently the mining sector has undergone increased public and political scrutiny in the period under review due to incidents of labour disputes and unrest. Under its Environment Programme, the COMSA works within government and private sector forums such as the Environmental Policy Committee (EPC), the South African Mining and Biodiversity Forum (SAMBF), the Department of Water Affairs and the Chamber of Mines Liaison Forum (DWA/COM Liaison). The primary responsibility of this collective body is to implement programmes promoting environmental sustainability, amongst others. In the period under review, the Gauteng Department of Agriculture, Environment and Conservation (GDACE) produced a new “Mining and Environmental Impact Guide” to reflect changes in legislation and policies at all levels of government. This guide further provided recent and detailed information regarding the impacts of the mining industry on the environment. The GDACE reviews mining licence applications and approval processes in order to ensure that the environmental rights of the inhabitants of the Gauteng Province are protected. The Guide illustrates all the potential environmental aspects that are associated with the evaluation and exploitation of minerals and alerts GDACE of biodiversity issues and sensitive areas. A regional NGO, OSISA, recently launched a three year project on ‘Promoting Social and Environmental Accountability in the Southern Africa Mining Sector’, with South Africa being one of the case studies. The aim is to develop CSOs’ knowledgebased advocacy and engagement with key stakeholders in the mining sector in order to increase social and environmental accountability. The adoption and genesis of the King III Code of Corporate Governance instituted integrated reporting, which is qualitatively different from triple bottom line and sustainability reporting. Integrated reporting, which is being adopted by companies in South Africa, is a concise communication mechanism on how an organisation’s strategy, governance, performance and prospects lead to the creation of value over the short, medium and long term. Integrated reports provide all stakeholders of an organisation with an intimate view of how the company 70